Collections SA

The National Trust South Australia maintains a property portfolio of Heritage Buildings and Museums which are open to the public. Some properties feature interpretive displays drawing on the history and setting of the sites and offer a rich and diverse collection of Australian historical objects and material held in trust for all South Australian’s.

The unique collections and objects held by the National Trust are located throughout the State, though in the State Office our paper-based archives are quite extensive.

The National Trust SA maintains an archive and research library relating to historic places which is one of the most comprehensive collections of historic material relating to buildings and places in South Australia.

Making a donation

Generous offers from donors ensure the continuing development of the National Trust’s collections. NTSA is always interested in discussing any potential donations.

All offers are considered in the context of existing collection holdings, conservation requirements and storage constraints. This means that unfortunately, not all material can be accepted into the NTSA Collection.

What to include

In order for the NTSA to give full consideration to your kind offer, please provide as much information as possible about the object or collection. This includes:

your full details including a current phone number or email address

a description of the object/s

measurements of the object/s

an image of the object/s

who owned or used the object/s

when and how you acquired the object/s

where and when it/they were made (if known)

a description of any supporting material including documents, photographs or film

approximate value of the donation.

(Please note that NTSA reserves the right to reject offers of material and unfortunately is unable to accept long-term loans.) Please do not post original objects, documents or photographs.

NTSA Process
Once the NTSA has received your kind offer, it will be considered by NTSA Management and the Collections Committee. If NTSA agrees to proceed, a curator will be assigned to complete an assessment. As part of this process, they may contact you for further information. The entire assessment process could take several weeks but NTSA will keep you informed of the progress of your offer at every stage.